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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27622616">Brothers of Circumstance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuunaFiction/pseuds/YuunaFiction'>YuunaFiction</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bleach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, By mimicking Ichigo's bad habits, Byakuya decides to do something about it, Byakuya is not happy, Drama, If you want something done you got to do it yourself, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, with a hint of gay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:03:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,260</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27622616</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuunaFiction/pseuds/YuunaFiction</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Byakuya keeps getting disappointed by those around him, so when Kurosaki Ichigo - yet again - gets the short end of the stick, Byakuya decides to take matters into his own hands.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kuchiki Byakuya/Kurosaki Ichigo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>165</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Brothers of Circumstance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, I found this in a remote corner of my computer and figured I'd upload it for you guys. It's not much, but bruh, Byakuya is a whole mood in this one.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Byakuya had always considered himself an honorable and prideful man. He paid his debts and kept his word – at least he tried to. Because sometimes he promised things without thinking and that had a way of getting him into awful predicaments. One such promise was his vow to his parents to always abide and follow the law – while the other was a promise to his late wife to always protect Rukia. Needless to say, having Rukia break the law, however justified, had certainly made things difficult. Had it not been for Kurosaki Ichigo, he would have lost his adopted sister to his own foolishness.<br/>
<br/>
He was much more careful about making promises after that. But he was also far less strict about the law considering the position it had placed him and Rukia in. It proved to him that the law wasn’t infallible like his parents had made it seem – what Kurosaki Ichigo had beat into his skull through grit and blood.<br/>
<br/>
And he’d never been so thankful for anything in his life.<br/>
<br/>
Kurosaki Ichigo had single-handedly brought him out of a funk he’d never even noticed he’d fallen into. Certainly, he’d been kicking and screaming while the Substitute did it, but once he had, Byakuya could honestly only look back at himself and feel more than a little appalled at what he’d become after his wife’s death.<br/>
<br/>
Though he’d not been particularly happy to admit it to himself at first – he owed the Substitute more than he could ever repay him. In the boy’s quest to save Rukia’s life, he’d also managed to save his. With that alone – the boy had earned his respect no matter how it looked like to others, because he certainly didn’t hate him as his Lieutenant appeared to believe.<br/>
<br/>
The human’s later actions had only strengthened the quiet understanding that existed between them ever since that one fight on the Sōkyoku Hill. A bond neither of them had ever spoken of but still felt through their shared experiences as older brothers – forever trying them together with their shared responsibility and burden of being an older sibling. Because everything Kurosaki Ichigo did, he did for his friends and family, and Byakuya had found he admired that about him. Admired how strong and unyielding he was in the face of advisory and how selflessly he sacrificed himself for those he loved. It was characteristics he’d never known he respected as much as he did until he saw how much they defined his sister’s savior. Someone whom Byakuya had unconsciously referenced himself after in his own quest to become a good older brother.<br/>
<br/>
However, accompanied by that came a rather alarming sense of understanding. Kurosaki Ichigo would tear into the Gates of Hell for those he loved – without hesitation<em>. Just like him</em>. Now that he wasn’t chained down by old promises, he’d doubled down and stepped up to be the older brother Rukia deserved. But that also meant he’d finally been able to place himself in the redhead's shoes for once, but also understand why he acted the way he did – why he didn’t appear to <em>think</em> when those he loved were at risk.<br/>
<br/>
Looking back, Byakuya couldn’t find any fault in his actions. He couldn’t see a single instance where Kurosaki Ichigo had done something he wouldn’t have done himself had it been him. He understood the Substitute Soul Reaper in a way he doubted few others did. Something he quietly took a lot of pride in as well.<br/>
<br/>
So, when the Captain Commander announced that Kurosaki Ichigo had lost his powers in the wake of Aizen’s defeat – but was seemingly fine with it according to Rukia who’d brought him the report – Byakuya had his doubts. When the Captain Commander further placed a temporary ban for traveling between Soul Society and the World of the Living, Byakuya was outright suspicious. A chilling sense of alarm had then continued to grow in the pits of his stomach for the duration of the meeting. And although he’d not outwardly disapproved, Captain Hitsugaya had been quick to question the old man’s wisdom at leaving Kurosaki Ichigo defenseless – because surely there was a way to help him regain his powers?<br/>
<br/>
The response had not been particularly satisfactory and had only further chilled the warm blood in Byakuya’s veins, “Kurosaki Ichigo will live the remainder of his life as a normal human – as he was always meant to. He will have no further interaction with this world or the beings in it until the day he joins us in death.”<br/>
<br/>
Needless to say, Byakuya had felt more than a little sick, and judging by the expression the Tenth Division Captain had worn along with the Visords, he was not alone.<br/>
<br/>
He returned to his Clan Compound that evening and moved straight to the dojo to get the urge to murder someone out of his system before he accidentally acted on his impulses. History, he felt, always seemed to repeat itself in the worst possible ways. Once again Soul Society stepped into the poster role of the most dishonorable society in existence. It made his skin crawl with frustration and anger. Because Kurosaki Ichigo had sacrificed his <em>soul</em> for them. He’d fought for them when he never should have been forced to partake in the goddamn war in the first place. ‘A normal human’ the Captain Commander had said. Byakuya snorted and viciously swung the bokken at the straw dummy, creating a storm of loose straw. They’d taken everything from the boy and now when they were finished they’d tossed him aside like trash.<br/>
<br/>
It made him sick.<br/>
<br/>
Eventually, Byakuya wore himself out, and the anger turning to exhaustion. He was tired of having his pride and honor stomped on like a doormat. He was tired of being disappointed by the world around him.<br/>
<br/>
But more than anything; he was tired of being too weak to do anything about it.<br/>
<br/>
As he later walked towards his room, the voice of his sister and lieutenant caused him to stop a moment to listen. Because if Rukia and Renji planned on going on another reckless rescue mission, he had to know so he could find a way to cover for them and make sure they knew they had his blessing.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“Can’t believe he lost his powers</em>,” Renji said from inside the room. “<em>What did he say before he lost the ability to see you?</em>”<br/>
<br/>
Rukia sighed, “<em>He… told me to give everybody his regards. And said, ‘Thank you’.</em>”<br/>
 <br/>
“<em>That’s it?</em>” And Byakuya could hear his lieutenant disbelief – a mirror of his own.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Yeah… but it’s better this way, right? I mean, he can finally go back to school and be a normal kid again.”</em> Rukia continued, “<em>He’ll have no more Hollows coming after him and since Karin-chan is developing her own powers she’ll be able to protect him. Plus, Chad, Ishida, and Orihime can take care of Karakura on their own.</em>”<br/>
<br/>
“<em>I suppose so…</em>”<br/>
<br/>
But Byakuya was already backing away from the door – appalled and shocked at the words of his sister. Weren’t they friends? Why wasn’t she more adamant in restoring Kurosaki Ichigo’s powers? And did she honestly believe that the boy would appreciate having his younger sister fighting Hollows in his stead? Not just that, but from what he’d gathered, the boy’s sisters were <em>eleven</em>.<br/>
<br/>
Byakuya silently made his way towards his bedroom, his mind working in overdrive. If Rukia and Renji weren’t going to make sure Kurosaki Ichigo was alright… then <em>he</em> would.<br/>
<br/>
The Substitute really was rubbing off on him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have a lot of these short stories laying around, but I think this was a prologue into an epic adventure and drama-filled romance that never ended up going anywhere. Ichigo and Byakuya would bond and develop a bromance, and then everything would turn very gay... if you get my drift ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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